


The One Tie I Have to You

by tomxdaya



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Michelle Jones - Freeform, Peter Parker - Freeform, PeterMJ - Freeform, Smut, Spideychelle, accidental pregnancy fic, enemies to lovers AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2020-08-11 21:17:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20160244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomxdaya/pseuds/tomxdaya
Summary: that one enemies to lovers AU with a crossover of an accidental pregnancy, paired with our favorite couple, Peter Parker and Michelle Jones. enjoy :)





	1. Chapter 1

Michelle Jones woke up with an insane headache and the most upset stomach she’d ever had. Normally, she’d wake up this way and then recall the night before, full of alcohol and loud music, but this time was different. She hadn’t gone to the bar last night, thank god, because today was the first day of finals at NYU and she could not mess this up. 

As she sat there gulping from her water bottle in bed, reaching for her glasses, she felt a sick lurch in her throat, panicked, and rushed to the bathroom to relieve her stomach from whatever the hell was going on. 

As she finished puking her guts out, she stared at her feet in silence. It was definitely the stomach flu, and she definitely couldn’t miss finals. Picking herself up off the ground and flushing the toilet, she went to go vigorously brush her teeth and get ready for class. 

—

Peter Parker woke up that same morning to loud rock music playing from the bathroom. He groaned and covered his face with his pillow as the music kept playing, hearing Ned’s off-key voice singing along to every word. 

He felt fine, though. Yes, they had finals today, but he had studied and prepared for hours and actually felt good about it for once. He was almost graduated from NYU and his hard work had finally begun to pay off. 

Ned came out of the bathroom, speaker in hand, as he turned down the volume of his irritating music upon seeing Peter look so annoyed. 

“Hey, have you talked to Michelle recently?” He asked him. 

Peter scoffed, then looked up at him in complete disbelief. “Michelle? Fuck no. Why?”

“She just texted me and told me she’s sick. On the first day of finals. Like, she’s throwing up, and everything.” 

Peter rolled his eyes. “And I care...why?”

“Look, Pete, I know you guys don’t get along anymore but you used to, right? I mean, there’s gotta be something still there. You even hooked up.” 

Peter shushed him frantically as if there was anyone around them to hear. “Ned! Ned. No. That was a mistake. We were, like, super drunk. And we’ve always hated each other. That was just hormones, or alcohol. Or both.” Ned raised his eyebrow at his desperate excuses. “Look, the point is - it happened, and we haven’t acknowledged it since, and that’s it. It’s over. Nothing’s changed. Just - please don’t bring it up, man.” 

It was Ned’s turn to roll his eyes as he left Peter alone in his bedroom. “Whatever.” He added flippantly. 

And god, now that he had brought it up, it was all he could think about. 

It had all started when Ned took Michelle, Betty, Harry, and Brad out to celebrate his birthday at their favorite bar with him. Now that everyone in their group was 21 and older, they had found that clubbing was fun. Like, really fun. It was their favorite thing to do as friends. But, there was still the famously Not Talked About Peter and Michelle. 

Everyone had seen the tension that they had and EVERYONE had labeled it as sexual. Everyone. Even May had said something, which Peter looked back on in extreme embarrassment. 

And the next thing he knew, they were at her apartment and stripping off their clothes as she muttered a breathless, “This is purely for an orgasm, Parker. Don’t think too much about it. And no one knows about this, ever. Got it?” 

He had kissed her and shucked off his jeans, responded with a “Got it.” 

And then the next thing his mind comprehended was moving behind her and hearing her breathless, desperate moans as he grabbed her hair to keep up with the rough, fast pace. He’d found out about his dirty mouth that night, but that was something he wasn’t fond of recalling. Because he hadn’t done it with any girl before her. And that fucking scared him. 

And then soon they had finished and Michelle was ushering him out of her place seemingly as fast as it had all started. And he had gone back home and passed out, only to wake up with a migraine and a pit in his stomach. 

Presently, Peter looked back on the moment knowing it had been good sex. But it wasn’t about the sex. It was about the fact that he had just slept with his archenemy of six years and he didn’t know what to do. He still didn’t know what to do. It had been two months and they hadn’t discussed it, or really even talked at all, and it was driving him crazy. 

He needed to talk to her. 

—

Michelle’s professor had told her to go home after her second time throwing up in her first class of the day. She left, cursing out her stomach for being so weak, and obediently went back to her dorm. As she lifted up the sheets and got under the covers, jeans, shoes and all, her phone began to vibrate. She groaned as she pulled it out of her jacket pocket. It was Liz. 

“Hello?” She answered. 

“MJ? MJ, are you okay? I got your texts and I’m so, so sorry I didn’t get them, like, WAY earlier. What’s going on?”

Michelle smiled at her friend’s immediate concern for her as she replied, “Uh, yeah, it’s nothing. Just a flu, or something. I’ve been throwing up a lot today. It just hasn’t happened in awhile, that’s all.”

Liz audibly pouted over the phone as she responded. “Aw, I’m so sorry. But the flu? Since when do you get the flu, let alone sick, like, at all?”

“I know, right? I hate it.”

Liz squealed. “Oh my god, ‘Chelle, what if you’re pregnant.” She laughed and MJ purposefully gave a huge dramatic sigh. 

“Yeah, uh huh, that makes perfect sense. I haven’t gotten laid in like, years.” 

“Who was the last person you hooked up with?”

“Carson Roberts. That was literally my sophomore year, Liz. That’s so sad.” 

“Carson? Wait, didn’t you sleep with Peter a few months ago?” 

Michelle’s blood turned cold. She hadn’t forgotten about it, per say, but she had pushed it so far off in her mind that it was now being kept in that locked box for memories she so desperately wanted to forget. 

“How...how did you know about that?” 

Liz snickered over the phone. “MJ, you literally called me the second he left, drunk as fuck, talking about how good the sex was.” 

“Oh my god. No I didn’t.” 

“You DID. I remember. You woke me up at like 2 am and just went on and ON about how good he was with his—“

“OKAY! Okay. So maybe that did happen.”

“Obviously. But ‘Chelle, what if you’re like, actually pregnant?” 

She scoffed. “I’m definitely not pregnant.” 

But the thought of pregnancy stayed in the back of her mind. She knew Liz was joking, but for some reason, she couldn’t make it go away. The second after she hung up, she counted the days from her last period, with assurance that the very thought of being pregnant was ridiculous and that her period would definitely be here soon. 

And then she finished counting. 

Forty-seven. 

“No fucking way,” she swore, pushing her hair out of her face. She recounted, once, twice, five times, only to realize she’d had it right the first time. 

Her period was supposed to come nineteen days ago. That meant she’d missed an entire cycle, and it wasn’t just late, it was missing. 

Shakily she pulled on her sneakers and wallet and left her apartment to call the fastest cab she could find. 

—

Five minutes. It had been five minutes since she’d awkwardly self-administered the test she’d hastily purchased at the nearest CVS. And she knew it was sitting on her bathroom counter just waiting to ruin her life. 

She took a deep breath, then three, then seven, and whispered a quick “fuck it” before picking herself up and getting herself, somehow, the entire ten steps to her bathroom counter. Taking another breath, she shut her eyes and then flipped the stick over, opening them and dropping it on the tile two seconds later, gasping. 

Two pink lines meant, quite simply, pregnant. 

She was pregnant. 

And it was undoubtedly Peter Parker’s.


	2. Chapter 2

MJ glared up at the clock in her Intro to British Literature class, daring it to move. She was dreading the end of class, because that’s when Peter’s class also ended across the hall from her, and they always inevitably ran into each other. It happened every other day. But this time, it was completely different. Because Michelle was currently pregnant with Peter Parker’s baby. 

After the initial shock of finding out that her body was currently housing and growing a whole fetus, a living, moving organism, soon to be human child, she had wanted so badly to turn to alcohol to completely forget, even momentarily, about whatever the fuck was bothering her and instead fall into a state of complete bliss and silence. But she’d had a cousin who’d been pregnant last year, and she knew that pregnant people weren’t supposed to drink. It would harm her baby and possibly force it into a premature addiction. 

And then she’d stopped herself, and wondered why she even cared. She didn’t know what she was going to do yet, but she did know that she wanted it to go away, immediately. Michelle was too young for a baby. She was twenty-one, for God’s sake. Her mother had given birth to her older brother at twenty-three, and MJ had always marveled at the fact that someone that young had done it so well. 

And then she’d died, and her father had become an alcoholic, and then went to jail, and she had vowed to never get married or have babies or a family or do any of that overrated shit. She was living proof that it didn’t last. It never did. 

But for some reason, she couldn’t help but form some sort of emotional attachment to the baby, or, to the little group of cells that was forming in her body. It was the weirdest thing she’d ever experienced. She knew she’d always been and always would be pro choice, and completely supported the fact that women should be able to choose for themselves, but she knew in that moment that she could never do it. 

She’d never had family. Well, she did, but it was a terribly broken one. And outside of Liz, she’d never had someone that had truly cared about her. Or that she cared about. And shit, if that’s what was gravitating her towards giving her this stupid fetus a chance, then she cursed the damn gods to hell and back for making her care about something; to have such emotion so early in the process. 

Presently, she stared down the second hand, practically hearing it tick. Finally, it was 4:30pm, and she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the room, not even bothering to thank the professor. She needed to get out of there before seeing Peter. She had to. 

Fate, apparently, had a major thing against her lately. As she made it out of the doorframe without looking up, she ran smack dab into him. 

“Whoa. Michelle? Michelle, I’m so sorry-“

“You’re fine.” She muttered, not bothering to look up as her walked right past him. 

“Michelle, wait!” He yelled after her. She stopped in her tracks, looked up, and groaned. Turning around, she rolled her eyes at him impatiently. “What?”

Peter finally caught up to her and sighed. “Am I- am I bothering you?” 

“Yes.”

“O-oh.”

“What were you going to say, Parker?”

“I- I just, um...well, if I’m being honest, I wanted to talk to you.”

She looked at him incredulously. “What?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s about that...that thing that happened a few months ago? You know, when we...” He made a pointed look of widening his eyes dramatically. “You know?”

“What, when we fucked?”

“Jesus, Michelle.”

“I thought you called me ‘god’ that night, not ‘Jesus’.”

“MICHELLE.”

“Okay, fine. What is it?” She made an attempt to keep a casual face, to not look suspicious because one way or the other he might find out she was pregnant with his baby solely from her discreet facial expressions. 

“I, um. Do you think we should talk about it? I know you like, hate me, or whatever, and you have since our freshman year of high school, but I think we should talk about it.”

“What is there to talk about? I told you I just needed to get off. That’s all it was, Parker. You’re being so overdramatic.” 

“You don’t think we should talk about the fact that we...” he coughed out, “had sex? As mortal enemies or whatever? That doesn’t seem necessary to you?” 

“Not really.”

“I just- MJ, I just think that the best thing to do would be to acknowledge it and move on.”

Oh no. Word vomit. No, no, no, no, no- 

“I wish I could, but there’s no getting around a baby, Parker.”

He seemed to have choked on his own saliva and flown ten feet in the air as he sputtered and gasped. “Wh-what?”

“I said, there’s no getting around a baby. At this point, we’re practically bonded for life. So moving on actually wouldn’t be the best way to handle it.”

God, she hated her lack of a filter sometimes. 

“Are you pregnant?” He whispered in the tiniest voice she’d ever heard from him. And at this point, she was fed up. Mostly with herself. 

“Did I not just make it obvious for you?” She snorted. “I’m done.”

And she stalked off, leaving Peter with his blood running cold and his brain working too quickly for him to keep up with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo he knows! I wonder how he’s gonna want to do...
> 
> Also, I’m going to try to update this fic twice a week, and with longer chapters. So I hope you’ll enjoy this fic! Kudos and comments are always appreciated :)


	3. Chapter 3

Peter watched MJ walk off in shock. What the fuck had just happened? As he stood there, at a loss for words, his brain finally decided to work.

“M-Michelle?” He called, not ready for this conversation to be over yet. 

He watched her stop, visibly sigh, and slowly turn to face him. “Yes?” 

“I- I, uh. You’re just gonna...leave? Like we’re not gonna talk, uh, we’re not gonna talk about it?”

She smirked. “What is there to talk about?”

“God, Michelle, can you be serious for one damn second?” 

“No.” 

He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “We have to talk about the fact that you’re...pregnant...with my, fuck, my kid, Michelle!” 

“Peter, there’s nothing to talk about. I can go-“ She gulped. “I can go get rid of it.” 

He shifted his eyes quickly to meet hers. “What?”

“You do know what an abortion is, right?” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”

He snorted. “It’s a big deal. Yep. It’s a big fucking deal.” He waited, watching her silently, and when she remained silent, he spoke up again. “You’re really gonna...?” 

“I don’t know.” She whispered. He could tell she felt vulnerable in that moment and he didn’t want to push it, but then she added, “I’m scared, Parker.” 

And, to his shock, he caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes as she desperately tried to blink them away. She sniffed and hung her head, and Peter couldn’t take it anymore. 

He took the few steps towards her and enveloped her in a hug, holding her to him, as he let her silently cry into his shoulder. The hallway was empty now, and they were alone. 

A minute later she jerked out of his arms and wiped her eyes hastily. “You tell anyone about this, you’re dead. The pregnancy hormones are making me disgustingly emotional.”

He wanted to make a remark about how it might be because she was a human being with emotions, but he didn’t want to push it. Plus, it was Michelle Jones. He never knew. 

“Meet me at Starbucks at seven. No,” she added. “That’s too public. Jane’s Diner. Meet me there. We need to...talk about this. And the only reason I’m even talking to your dumb face is because you made this stupid kid, too. So don’t get any ideas.” 

He nodded, and before he could add anything, she turned and stalked off. 

—

Peter rushed around his dorm, trying desperately to get ready for his ...thing... with Michelle. It wasn’t a date. No. Definitely not. It was a...business meeting? About the accidental baby they’d conceived while hate fucking? Yeah, that. 

Ned watched him, judging him silently from his twin bed on the opposite side of the room. After seeing Peter try on five different shirts that looked exactly the same, he spoke up. 

“Peter, I thought you hated Michelle.”

“I- I do.” He replied, staring at himself in the mirror and adjusting his curls with a tiny comb. 

“No, you obviously don’t,” he chuckled. “Peter. This isn’t a date. The absolute farthest from it, actually. And yet you’re acting like Megan Fox is about to take you to dinner at the top of the Eiffel Tower. You need to take several seats. This is Michelle.”

“I know.” He shrugged, checking himself out in the mirror again. “I just, she’s-“ almost slipping up, he shot his gaze over to Ned, who was looking at him questioningly. 

“She’s...what?” 

“Nothing.” Peter hadn’t told him anything. But he felt like he deserved to know. 

“What, Peter.”

“God, Ned, she’s pregnant, okay?”

Ned’s eyes widened. “What?” 

“Yeah.”

“No...way. She doesn’t have a boyfriend or anything though, right? How is she-“ 

“One night stand.” Peter scrunched his eyes tightly. “That’s it, Ned. End of story.”

“Wait...how do you know all of this?”

“I just do.”

“You’re literal archenemies-“

“Because it’s MINE, okay?”

And god, if Peter had gotten a snapshot of Ned’s face, it would have been priceless. He sat there, frozen, no change in facial expression, and then looked around for a second, and then jumped up so fast it scared him for a second. 

“PETER??? WHAT? WHEN? WHY? HOW? WHERE? ....WHAT??”

Peter cowered and backed up into the wall, staring at the floor. “I plead the fifth.”

“PETER.” 

“Ok!!! It was...um...it was the night we went to the bar? With like Betty and Harry and Brad? And we left at different times but we ended up at her apartment and kinda just...Ned we were drunk!” Peter added, seeing the beyond shocked look on Ned’s face. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god. So you didn’t use protection?”

“I actually...I don’t remember.”

“Oh. My. God.” Ned sat back on the bed in shock. “You have to tell May.”

Peter’s eyes widened as he shook his head vigorously. “No. No. No no no no no.” 

“Yeah, you do. Don’t you think she’d want to know that you got your literal worst enemy pregnant? What if Michelle decides to keep it? She’s gonna find out anyway.”

Peter groaned dramatically, realizing that once again, his best friend was right. 

—

And soon he was waiting in Jane’s, ten minutes early, anxiously tapping his foot. She wasn’t gonna show up. She was gonna decide to leave him completely out of the loop and then five years down the road he’d run into her randomly at like CVS or something and he’d meet his kid that she’d decided to keep from him all this time and he just- 

“Hi, Parker.”

He shot his glance up to find Michelle sitting across from him, smirking. “Thinking too hard?”

“Uh-“

“Hi, can I get you guys anything?” Peter jumped and saw that the waitress had suddenly appeared, standing with a notepad in hand and ready to take their order. 

Michelle cleared her throat. “Uh, yeah, to drink I’ll get a coff- um. Can I just get a thing of orange juice?”

“And for you?” She gestured to Peter. 

“Sweet tea.” 

“Alrighty, I’ll be back with those in a minute.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds, and then she spoke. 

“I think I’m gonna keep it.”

Peter nodded slowly. 

“And I just...I don’t know. It’s my decision, I hope you know that, like it’s my body, but I did want to get your thoughts on that. I don’t know if I’ll give it up for adoption, but I at least want to give it a chance. At life.”

He cleared his throat. “I think that’s a good idea. You have time to figure the other stuff out, right? So we’re okay.”

“And I was wondering if maybe you wanted to be involved through the pregnancy.”

“I-“

“Allllrighty, folks, here’re those drinks you ordered. Can i get you anything to eat tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ll have one of your panini sandwiches...chicken, please. And a side of fries? And a second side of fresh fruit.” Michelle spoke confidently. 

“Got it. And you?”

Peter shifted. “Uh, I’ll get a soup.”

“Um, which one?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“O-okay.”

As she was leaving, Peter focused again on Michelle. 

“Yes. I’d love that.” 

“Okay. And this doesn’t mean I hate you any less, loser. I just...I’d feel bad about leaving you out.”

“I know. I get it.” He gave her a quick half-smile. 

He was going to be involved. 

He would get to hear its heartbeat, maybe know it’s gender, and maybe be there when she gave birth. 

He was going to be involved. 

He was going to be a dad. 

Maybe. 

That still counted, right? 

He thought so. 

And when their food came, they ate in silence, not daring to think about what this meant for their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/kudos! I’m so sorry this has gotten such a slow start but it’s about to start picking up. Thank you so much for the kind words y’all leave me :)


	4. Chapter 4

Peter had been planning on telling May since Monday. It was now Thursday, and he still hadn’t said anything. He felt terrible. She deserved to know, of course, but the last thing he needed right now was the horrible, sad look on her face every time she was disappointed in him. 

And then today had rolled around, and he was now seated at her dining table, inhaling his spaghetti as if it would save him from the despair and disappointment of telling her that he’d gotten the girl he’d complained about all through high school and college...pregnant. 

“So, how’s school? You haven’t called in a week, Peter, I’ve been really worried.”

“Um, uh yeah! Classes have been great. Just fine.” He decided to leave it at that, terrified of accidentally spilling his guts to her, because he was prone to doing so. He could never lie to May. He rarely ever had. 

She eyed him suspiciously. “Mhm. What’s going on? You’re acting a little weird.”

“Nothing! Nothing. I’m good.” He rushed out. Then, a few seconds later, he groaned and glared up at the ceiling, knowing he couldn’t keep a damn thing from his aunt if he tried. “I have something to tell you.” He mumbled. 

A flit of surprise ran across May’s face as she raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his face and sighed, and then spoke with a reluctant croak in his voice. “Um, do you remember Michelle Jones?”

May’s surprised expression grew as she nodded slowly. “She’s that nice girl who you always complained about.” 

He let out a frustrated breath. “Nice, okay.” He muttered. 

“What about her?”

“Well, um. She’s pregnant.” He started. 

If May had been surprised before, she was shocked at this point. “Isn’t she your age? And single? I’m pretty sure I remember her being single. Is she seeing someone now?”

Peter refused to look her in the eye as he went on, not acknowledging anything she’d said. “She’s pregnant and it’s, um, it’s mine.”

May’s jaw dropped, simultaneously in tune with her fork. “What?”

“Yeah.” 

“Peter, I-“

“May, I promise I’m not trying to be rude, but I really don’t need your reprimands right now.” His breath stuttered. “This has been really hard for me, you know? I just don’t know what to do and she’s gonna keep it and she hates me still and I don’t even know what-“

Squeezing his eyes shut and lowering his head, he heard her chair scrape across the floor as she got up and a few seconds later, he felt her arms go around him. “It’s okay, Peter. I’m not mad. I just want to help you figure things out, okay? I love you so much.” 

—

Later that night, Peter’s phone dinged with an iMessage notification...from Michelle. 

Michelle: Hey, Parker. My first routine checkup is scheduled for tomorrow at 10am. If you want to come, that’d be great, but don’t feel like you have to. I know you have classes. 

Peter’s heart rate sped up rapidly as he quickly typed a reply. 

of course i’ll go. it’s just my calc III class. i’ll be fine. 

A couple minutes later, his heart still not shutting up, he got another notification. 

Michelle: Okay. Meet me there five minutes early. I’ll see you tomorrow

She then sent him the address, and Peter’s nerves grew to a peak very quickly. He didn’t even know what a routine checkup was or what they’d do or look at, but he was optimistic about learning more about the whole situation. He felt bad about not knowing enough already. 

—

Michelle gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to take deep breaths as she pulled into the parking lot. She could see Peter’s car already parked close to the door, and was silently thankful that he hadn’t bailed, or been late, or whatever she thought she’d been expecting. As she parked, she dropped her head down onto her hands that were still holding onto the wheel for dear life. 

She couldn’t believe this. 

She never should have asked him to be involved. It would make things so much worse. Granted, she knew she could never, ever do this alone, but then again, maybe she could. She’d been doing everything else alone. Why would this be any different?

And Peter was her worst fucking enemy. It hadn’t even been some huge thing that had started it, but in ninth grade, she’d developed a huge crush on him. And then in tenth, he’d asked Liz, her best friend in the entire world, to homecoming, and she’d accepted. Even though she’d never told Liz about her crush on Peter and didn’t expect her to say no, it had still hurt her to see them dancing and laughing and looking so fucking happy. They’d even kissed that night. Liz had told her all about it the day after. Every damn detail. 

And god, her crush had never gone away. 

From that day on, she’d decided to hate Peter. And she had. Or, that was the front she put on. 

Then she’d slept with him. And obviously, it had ruined everything. 

Gulping in some more deep breaths, she finally got out of her car and slung her purse over her shoulder before gathering the courage to walk inside those intimidating, terrifying doors. 

—

Peter looked up as he heard the door to the waiting room open and shut. Michelle entered he room, looking tired as hell, with her hair in her signature low bun and he was sure that she had slept in her worn out t-shirt the night before. But he’d never say that to her face. 

“Hi,” he offered. Michelle gave him a quick half-smile and sat down next to him, rubbing her back. “I already signed you in.”

“Thanks.” She mumbled, not looking at him. 

As if on cue, a nurse stepped into the waiting room. “Michelle?”

Peter stood up and was followed by Michelle as the nurse led them to the exam room. 

Things happened extremely quickly after that. 

The doctor had come in and examined Michelle, taken her vitals, and had gotten the ultrasound ready as Peter’s hands shook. He could tell Michelle was nervous, too. 

As the doctor raised her shirt up to right below her breasts, she said softly, “This is the gel that will help us detect the sound waves, along with this transducer. Just breathe, the gel’s a little cold, and that’s all you have to worry about.” She gave them both a reassuring smile as Peter watched her administer the gel to Michelle’s still flat stomach, showing really no signs of pregnancy yet. 

—

Michelle felt the icy gel across her stomach as the doctor took the transducer instrument to it and began the sonography. She stared at the ceiling, at the bright, clinical lights until she heard it. 

A heartbeat. 

Her baby’s heartbeat. 

Hers and Peter’s. 

What the fuck. 

It was loud, and Michelle was sure her brain registered it as louder because, god, it was so significant. That quick, steady thrumming of a human heart. 

She quickly looked over at Peter, who was open mouthed and in shock, staring at her stomach. And she felt the exact same way. 

They left the office later, ultrasound scans in hand as they both stared at them in absolute awe. The doctor had gone over the uterus and ovaries and explained that that tiny little thing, that little blob, was their baby. 

It was the most beautiful and the most terrifying thing that either of them had ever experienced. 

But it was something they shared. 

And later, they sat on Michelle’s couch and he held her as she cried. They didn’t speak. He might have teared up, but he’d never admit that to her.

He still didn’t know if she had cried in shock, or happiness, or fear. Maybe all three. 

And he had to remind himself that it was only the beginning.


	5. Chapter 5

A month had passed since her first routine checkup, and it had been HELL. 

Michelle groaned as she laid sprawled out on her twin bed, frustrated at the nausea that was arising not even an hour after she’d thrown up the first time since that morning. 

Thank god it was Saturday. 

She was now sixteen weeks along, almost four months, and she still hadn’t told her father, or brother. They were the only family she’d ever had besides Liz, and although she didn’t feel they deserved to know, she knew she had to tell them. 

When she’d told Liz a month ago, Liz had freaked out. In a good way, at first. “I knew it!” She’d exclaimed excitedly. “Chelle, what are you gonna do?” 

Then the conversation had turned serious, and they’d cried and Michelle felt so fucking angry at how emotional pregnancy was making her. “I think I’m gonna keep it.” She’d said quietly towards the end of their phone conversation. (Liz was working for a genetics lab in California.) 

“Like... keep it, or...KEEP keep it.” 

“Um, the latter.” 

There had been silence on the other end for a moment and she had panicked. “I just, I don’t have anyone, you know? Just you, and you’re, like, three thousand miles away from me, and Dad still has seven years before he gets out, and Abraham is in Texas with his wife. I haven’t talked to him in awhile. And I just think that, since I’m through NYU, and have a job set soon and everything, that-“ 

“Michelle.” Liz sighed before she could finish her rushed rant. “I get it. It’s okay. I support you no matter what.” 

And she’d breathed a sigh of relief. 

Today, she’d find out the gender of her baby. Her’s and Peter’s. Peter was ecstatic albeit terrified when she’d texted him about the appointment. He hurriedly agreed to be there before she could even ask. 

But first, Michelle was determined to tell her father. 

She drove to Hudson in terrible silence, anxious about seeing him for the first time in three years. 

Things happened quickly after that. 

Soon, she was tearing up, staring at her father from the opposite side of the glass with the telephone held shakily up to her right ear. 

Ed Jones had been sentenced to fifteen years in prison when Michelle was thirteen years old. He’d been charged for a DUI and second degree murder when he’d driven home from the bar at one in the morning and had killed a college student on their way home from night school. 

She’d been so disappointed in him. And so had Abraham, her older brother, and the second he graduated high school the next year he’d moved to Texas to live with his twenty-five year old girlfriend. It had fucked their family up more than it already had been. 

Presently, Ed looked back at her in equal parts relief and anxiety. “Hi, Em.” He smiled through his tears. 

And words began falling from her mouth before she could stop him. She told him all about college. The last time she’d spoken to him, she’d just finished her freshman year. He looked so happy to hear that she had graduated at the top of her class, and had an internship lined up at the Daily Bugle to start in a couple weeks. 

And then came the hard part. 

“Dad, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“What is it?”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, too afraid of his reaction to watch. “I’m pregnant.”

Silence. 

“Em-“

“I know.” She stopped him before the tears left her eyes. “I’m keeping it. Almost four months along. I’m due in December.” 

He smiled lovingly at her. “I’m not upset, Em. That’s always your first reaction to everything. But I’m not...Em, I love you so much.” 

She nodded quickly and wiped her tears hastily before smiling back. “I love you too.” 

—

Peter was freaking out. 

Michelle’s appointment was in an hour. One hour. Sixty minutes until he’d find out if they...no, if she, was having a boy or a girl. And he was TERRIFIED. 

Since graduation a month ago he’d moved out of his dorm with Ned, and gotten his own apartment near his job at Stark Industries as a computer programmer. He loved it. But it wasn’t the first thing on his mind. 

You see, over the past two months of his knowledge that Michelle was having his baby, he’d developed...feelings for her. He didn’t know what they were. They weren’t significant. He just loved her sarcastic, dry quips she’d make after someone (especially him) said something stupid. He loved the way she’d bite the inside of her left cheek when she was concentrating too hard on what she was reading. He loved how she’d angrily mumble to her stomach when her cravings were especially bad, and how she’d make Peter go and get whatever it is she needed. 

Yeah, they’d spent quite a bit of time together over the last couple of months. 

But again, it wasn’t significant. 

And they weren’t even friends. 

She’d remind him of that every single time he was over, complaining about how he was the only person that she could get to come over and make her food and vent about pregnancy to. 

Because they’d both realized that right now they needed each other. 

But it didn’t mean anything. 

At least, not to her. 

— 

Michelle pulled up once again to her doctor’s office, and like every time they’d gone there, she saw Peter’s car in the parking lot, always there before her. 

They waited in the waiting room for ten horrible, fear inducing moments before they heard the nurse call for them. 

They’d discussed their guesses about the sex of the baby the week before. Peter seemed set on the idea that it was a girl. 

“How do you know?” She’d laugh, shaking her head. 

Peter shrugged, completely somber. “Don’t know. Just a feeling I have.” 

She’d looked at him incredulously as he rubbed her feet, then leaned her head back on the arm of the couch she was laying on. 

There was a good minute of silence before she responded. 

“I used to like the idea of having a boy. And then I wanted it to be a girl. And now I’ve kinda come to the conclusion that I don’t care. We’ll deal with it either way.” 

She hadn’t acknowledged her use of the word ‘we’ and seemed oblivious to the audible gulp that came from Peter and the bulge of his eyes, but he was sure she’d noticed. She was too observant not to. 

And now they were in the exam room, the gel being gently applied to Michelle’s slightly pronounced stomach. 

She swallowed and glanced at him, noticing his couldn’t-be-more-obvious face of terror. Normally, she’d laugh and insult him, but she felt the exact same way. 

“Are you ready to find out?” The doctor smiled as Michelle and Peter glanced at each other before both nodding. 

—

Dr. Carson (they’d found out later the sweet, middle aged doctor’s name, which Michelle was happy it was a woman) moved the mouse of the screen around the more pronounced blob on the black and white image.

“And...it looks like you’re having a girl!”

There was a moment of silence before Peter jumped up and pointed at Michelle. “I TOLD you!” He exclaimed happily before grinning at the doctor. “Thank you, ma’am.” 

Dr. Carson smiled warmly at Peter before getting up. “I’m glad to help. I’ll go print these out and leave you two alone.”

As she shut the door behind her, Peter realized that Michelle still hadn’t reacted. He looked back at her quickly and noticed a small smile forming on her face. “A girl.” She said simply. 

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, smiling ear to ear, moving to grip her hand. 

They both looked down at their joined hands, then Peter cleared his throat and let go. Awkward. 

Michelle stayed calm as she continued to keep quiet, a relaxed look washing away her fear as she finally spoke again. “I’m relieved, oddly.”

Peter laughed giddily as Dr. Carson entered the room again with their scans. “You two make a very cute couple. I’m so excited for you.” 

And the awkwardness glaringly returned. 

They looked away from each other quickly, neither reacting as she handed Michelle the scans. 

Peter sat there in awe, deciding to completely ignore...that...because it would get to him too much. Instead, he focused on the fact that in five months, they’d—she’d—have a baby girl. 

Holy shit. 

Suddenly his mind filled with images of tutus and teddy bears and tea parties and his excitement returned in triple. 

A girl.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tip: listen to “I Think I’m in Love?” by Phangs, that pretty much describes the vibe for this chapter :,)

After Michelle and Peter had discovered they were going to have a girl, they went to go eat lunch at Jane’s. It had unceremoniously become their spot throughout this whole weird process. But Peter cherished it. Because it was special to them. 

Every time he looked at Michelle he’d get a quiet pang in his chest, and he wasn’t sure what it was. And it scared him. Four months ago, he’d hated her guts. Michelle had been extremely distant towards him since their sophomore year of high school, and he still didn’t know why. He figured the only reason she was somewhat soft towards him now was the fact that the baby growing inside her was his. If it wasn’t for their one night stand, he was sure they’d have gone on hating each other, never understanding why, their tension building and building ever so slowly. But then, he figured, if they’d always had tension, the sex was bound to happen. 

Almost inevitable. 

If you’d told him two years ago that he’d be attending OBGYN appointments with his worst enemy, he’d have laughed. Called it ridiculous. Peter couldn’t believe what his life had become. And the most terrifying part? He wasn’t appalled by it. 

Because he was falling in love with her. 

They’d spent so much fucking time together. He blamed it on the countless rom coms she’d made him sit through, crying during every Nicholas Sparks film or ranting about how the woman’s identity had been stolen by the sole factor of love and the man’s entitlement. 

Peter would find himself, in those little moments, taking his time to look at her. He noticed how, when she smiled, no matter how tight it was, her crooked front tooth would peek through. It was the softest thing in the world to him. 

He noticed how her hair got unreasonably tangly in the mornings and how she’d have to fight with it day after day. 

He noticed how she sighed every time her pairs of jeans refused to fit her growing hips and how she’d mutter under her breath as she’d once again grab her sweatpants. 

One time she’d grabbed Peter’s. 

That day, she’d ordered him to stay the night with her. She complained that her dreams were getting weirder by the night and that she couldn’t cook for the life of her, which was a problem now that she was eating for two. She’d come up with a multitude of excuses. 

He’d agreed, smiling inwardly as he got into bed with her, keeping to his respective side of the bed.  
She had rolled her eyes and huffed out, “You don’t have to sleep fully clothed, Parker.” 

He gulped as he nodded and stood up, quickly shucking off his sweatpants and keeping his t shirt on as he took his spot again. Michelle’s head had popped up from its spot on the pillow as she’d excitedly gotten up. “I will be taking those sweats, though. They look comfortable and I am seriously starting to hate these shorts.” She gestured to the ever-tightening boy shorts on her hips. 

He nodded, and turned away so she could change. She’d laughed and commented, “You’ve seen me naked, loser.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop respecting your privacy!” He squeaked. 

“It’s not invading my privacy if I want you to,” she breathed, sitting down next to him. 

He turned around in shock, meeting her somber expression with his. 

Two seconds passed, then three, then four, and then she’d burst out laughing. “Oh my GOD, you’re so easy!” 

Peter had just grumbled and rolled over, shutting his eyes and praying for sleep. 

So yeah, she had him royally fucked up. 

And it meant nothing to her. 

—

Michelle groaned as she picked up her vibrating phone on the table next to her. It was probably work. She’d started last week, and loved it. It was taking up most of her time now. Well, that, and Peter. 

And speak of the devil. 

“What’s up, Parker?”

“Hey! Hey. Um. I just talked to my aunt, and before you ask, yes she knows, I told her a couple months ago, and no, she doesn’t care. She wants to take you maternity shopping today.” 

“May?”

“Yeah.”

“Maternity shopping?”

She knew she could use it. Every damn thing she owned was slowly becoming too tight, and the only thing she wore now were her brother’s old sweatshirts. And, maybe a couple of Peter’s. 

“Um, sure. I could probably use it.” 

“Great! Uh, I’ll- I’ll tell her you’re up for it. Can she pick you up around four?” 

“Today? Yeah, that’d be fine.”

“I’ll let her know.”

“Okay.”

The second he hung up, the fear set in. She’d wanted to impress May Parker for the better part of seven years now. And knowing that Peter’s aunt knew that she was pregnant with her nephew’s kid? Holy fuck. That was sure to ruin a good impression. 

But Peter knew her. 

He’d answered her questions before she even asked them. She liked that. A lot. 

ANYWAYS. 

It was now 2:45pm, and Michelle figured she’d shower, at least. She still had decency, thank you very much. 

So she did. And braided her hair. Making an effort was something she only did subconsciously with Peter. She really needed to stop thinking about him. 

As she threw on some leggings and another sweatshirt, her phone dinged with a text from him, letting her know that May was on her way. 

She rested her hand on her lower belly instinctively, relaxing into one of her dining room chairs. The second she sat down, she felt a sharp pain, just below her ribcage. What the fuck? 

It was fine, it was fine, it was fine. That was probably normal. This was her first pregnancy, after all. 

And her last, she grumbled to herself. 

Her phone dinged a second time a few minutes later with the notification that May was waiting for her outside, and had just pulled up. 

She took a deep breath, grabbed her purse, and headed May’s way. 

—

“So, I was thinking we could stop at the maternity section first, get a few things, and then head to the baby section. Peter said you plan on keeping her?” May chatted, gesturing towards Michelle’s stomach. 

“Oh, um, yeah, that sounds good. And yeah I am.” 

May nodded, smiling up at her (she was shorter than Peter, after all). 

They browsed the clothing section for awhile, Michelle trying on a couple rounds of things and showing them off to May in a humorously overdramatic fashion. 

She decided on a few blouses, four pairs of jeans, and two dresses. 

The baby section was much, much more difficult. 

Emotionally.

Michelle scanned the rows of onesies and dresses and tiny, tiny pairs of shoes. And she did NOT tear up. Not at all. 

It was the air, or something, that was making her eyes water. Whatever. 

As she stared at a tiny little onesie with a sewn duckling on it, May interrupted her thoughts. 

“So, I know this is a little intimate, but have you thought of any names yet?” 

Michelle quickly turned her head, sniffing and praying for her eyes to quit welling up. They did, for the moment. 

“Uh, no! Not yet. Things have been kinda hectic.” She laughed it off. 

May nodded, going through a row of floral dresses. 

“Would you want a family name, or a historical one? Or maybe a completely new one?”

Michelle stopped browsing for a second, smiling sadly. “My mom’s name was Katherine.” She said, a subtle wistfulness to her voice. 

“You like Katherine?” May smiled warmly. 

“Not- not as a first name, I think. It seems too intimate. But I think I want that to be her middle name.”

May smiled, somewhat emotionally, before spreading her arms and enveloping Michelle in a hug. “For what it’s worth, I am so, so proud of you. And I know she would be too.” 

Michelle returned the embrace, trying so damn hard not to cry. She cried way too much for her liking these days. 

And then, things turned horrible. Very, very quickly. 

Because the sharp pain from earlier had returned. 

And this time, it was a hundred times stronger. 

Michelle gasped, hunching over, away from May. She could hear May’s concerned remarks but for some reason, she couldn’t focus on what she was saying. And the sharp pain returned again, the strongest yet. 

And then everything went black. 

—

Peter drove home from work in content silence, happy that his aunt and his...Michelle were getting along, and seemed happy enough. He’d talked to May right before she’d picked Michelle up, and things had seemed great. He couldn’t wait for them to bond and do whatever they needed to do to form a good relationship. These were the two most important women in his life. Or, um-

Interrupting his thoughts, he heard his phone ringing as he glanced over to see May’s contact picture on the screen. 

He hooked it to Bluetooth and answered the call. 

“What’s up?” 

All he could hear from the response was indistinctive murmuring. But he knew that tone. May needed help. Immediately. 

“What? May, what’s wrong, what happened?”

More panicked chatter. 

“May, I need you to slow down. What’s happening?”

“I think Michelle’s miscarrying, Peter. Meet us at the hospital. She’s with the doctors right now. Please. Hurry.” She sounded so fucking panicked. 

And so was he. 

Hanging up the phone, not bothering to respond, he pulled an illegal U-turn, cursing and fighting the urge to cry. 

Not a miscarriage. 

Please, not a miscarriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh, y’all definitely hate me right now...and I’ll be updating on Friday 😶


	7. Chapter 7

Peter rushed into the hospital, determined to find May and Michelle as fast as he could. 

“Peter Parker? I’m here to see Michelle Jones.” He panted, reaching the front desk. 

The office assistant smiled calmly at him and replied, “Just a moment.” 

How the fuck was she so calm? 

The five minutes he spent in the waiting room were absolutely torturous. His leg wouldn’t stop shaking. Not the baby. Not the baby. Not his baby girl. 

Where the fuck had that come from? It wasn’t like that. 

And god, Michelle. 

He prayed that Michelle was okay. 

“Mr. Parker?” He heard. His head shot up to see the doctor calling for him behind the door. 

The thirty-five feet to the room where Michelle and May were felt like thirty-five miles. But eventually, finally, they made it there. 

He saw Michelle and his heart lurched; his legs automatically carrying him straight to her. “Michelle? Michelle, oh my god, are you okay?” 

He buried himself in her arms and she slowly embraced him back. “I’m okay, Peter.” She whispered in his ear. “We’re okay.” 

His head whipped up and he searched her eyes for the truth. “We’re?” 

She nodded, a few tears leaking from her eyes. “It was just a scare. It’s not a miscarriage. We’re okay.” 

He smiled and sighed in relief as he glanced up to meet May’s eyes, colored with mirrored relief as he went to hug her. “Thanks for taking care of her.” He mumbled. 

The doctor sat in his chair before speaking. “It wasn’t a miscarriage, but there is something I need to talk to you about. Michelle, is that okay if we keep them in here? Or do you want to hear this alone?” 

Michelle looked confused. “Is- is it serious? It’s not a miscarriage, so I don’t know what the issue is.” 

The doctor sighed. “It’s serious, Ms. Jones.”

“Oh,” Peter heard Michelle whisper, her head bowing in stress. “They can stay.” 

“Okay. So I went over the ultrasound closely, and we found something.”

Everyone in the room took a sharp breath. 

“Michelle, do you know what an amniotic membrane infection is?”

She shook her head slowly. 

“Okay. So, chorioamnionitis is a bacterial infection that occurs before or sometimes labor. The condition really only occurs when bacteria infect the chorion, amnion, and amniotic fluid around the fetus or child. This will cause a premature birth, and will seriously harm your baby if it goes full term.” 

Silence. 

Then, finally, “So...what does that mean?” Michelle asked quietly. 

“It means we’re going to have to schedule an epidural and labor date for you, and soon. This can cause serious problems if you leave it alone.”

And then, all hell broke loose. “What? What do you mean? I’m only five months pregnant! Pregnancy is supposed to last nine months! Will she even SURVIVE? What the hell?”

The doctor waited a moment before continuing. “Babies born after twenty-one weeks have a very high chance of survival. I’d suggest scheduling an appointment for your twenty-eighth week. By then, she’ll be able to breathe on her own, blink, and move, but she’ll still need care in the NICU for awhile before going home.”

“So...I’m gonna give birth in literally five weeks? I don’t know if I can...”

“You can.”

She’d held in her tears then, but much later, she’d cried. 

—

Peter rubbed Michelle’s back slowly as they rested in her bed the next day. They’d scheduled three upcoming OBGYN appointments, as well as a September 24th labor date. 

“Peter, I’m not ready to have a baby.”

“Neither am I. But I don’t think anyone’s ever ready. Ours is just gonna come a bit early. And we’ll make it through. She’ll make it through. It’ll be okay.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, and then she spoke again. “Peter,” 

“What?”

“I can’t lose you.” 

“What are you talking about?”

She sat up from their spooning position on her bed to face him. “I know we haven’t talked about our plan for...for after...and I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I just know that I can’t do this alone.” 

She quickly averted her eyes, dreading his reaction. 

“Michelle, you won’t ever lose me.” 

“Wh-what?”

It was then that Peter realized the implications of what he’d said. He drew in a breath, but stayed silent. 

“Peter, never?” 

“No.” He whispered. “Michelle, you have to know by now.”

“Know what?” She whispered back. 

They stared at each other, not at all oblivious to the tension between them. 

“M-Michelle, I love you.”

“What?” 

“Mich-“

“Peter, no.”

She stood up quickly from her bed and stared down at him. “You can’t love me.” 

“Why not?” He pleaded. 

“Because. You don’t know me. God, we- we HATED each other, like, six months ago? What the fuck happened? You can’t love me, Parker. God.”

“I do know you. I do. We’ve spent so much time together, I thought- well, I thought that you felt the same way...”

She took an angry step forward. “I do feel the same way!” She cried. “And I have since high school! I ruined it then, and planned on hating your entire fucking existence for the rest of my life, but then...then we fucking slept together, and it screwed up everything. Everything.” 

“What-“

“Peter, we can’t be together.”

“Michelle, if what you’re saying is how you actually feel...what’s stopping us?”

She glared at him for three seconds, then four, then five. “You never saw me. Ever. Not until now. Not until you can put a goddamn KID in me. And now you’re paying attention. That’s the ONLY reason you’re paying attention. You don’t love me. You just love...this.” She gestured frustratingly to her pronounced stomach. “So stop fucking it up.”

“I love YOU.” He said fiercely, standing up to face her at her full height. “You. And I saw you in high school, Em. In college, too. You hated me, so I thought I never stood a chance.” He grabbed her hands and put them in his. “I love you, and I want to be with you. I want this with you. What’s stopping you, Michelle?”

She hung her head, purposefully avoiding his burning gaze. “I don’t know.” 

“Michelle.” 

No response. 

“Michelle, look at me.” 

She did. 

“Can I kiss you, Em?”

She nodded. 

And then he did. 

Her lips were soft and perfect against his as he cupped her face in his hands, hers coming to rest on his shoulders. They moved their lips against each other’s once, and then twice. And when he pulled away, he caught a glimpse of tears on her face. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since high school.” He said. 

She sniffled, and then smiled shakily. “Me too.”

And later, resting in her bed again, she’d whisper, “I’m not ready to talk about this yet.” 

Then he’d comfort her. “Em. It’s okay. Whenever you’re ready.” 

They’d fall asleep content and comfortable, his hand, held in hers, resting on her stomach.

They’d get through this together.


	8. Chapter 8

September 24th for Peter and Michelle came with nerves and anxiety galore. It was enough that they were having a baby, let alone a premature one that needed an extended stay in the NICU. But the whole situation also brought an abundance of excitement and joy. 

“You ready for tomorrow?” Peter asked Michelle on the eve of the big day. 

“No,” she laughed, propping herself up carefully on the couch she was currently sitting on. “But I just want it to be over with. So also yes.” 

Peter laughed with her, understanding her nerves completely. Although, he guessed, she was the one doing all the work. He’d just be the nervous dad-to-be holding her hand throughout the whole thing. ‘Dad-to-be’, he thought. It was insane to think that in twenty-four hours, he’d be holding his little girl—another wild concept—in his arms. Little being the key word. She’d be tiny. She’d only spent six months in Michelle’s womb and would weigh only four pounds. And they were terrified.

Going to bed that night brought even more anxiety for them. They’d have to leave the apartment, Peter’s to be exact, around four a.m. She’d been staying with him since they’d confessed their feelings, and although they hadn’t had The Talk yet, he was feeling good about having her around 24/7.

—

The alarm blared loudly at them at three a.m., and Peter was up in a blur. He patted Michelle’s shoulder lightly. “Em.”

“Hm?” She questioned sleepily. 

“It’s—“

“Oh my god!” She sat up as best she could, given the six month pregnancy belly she was sporting. “It’s time to go.”

“Y-yeah.” Peter smiled weakly.

“I have a feeling I’m gonna be the brave one today and you’ll be the one on autopilot. Wake up, Parker.” She slapped his arm.

“Ow! I’m awake!”

“Good,” she chuckled, and Peter realized she was totally and completely right. His brain was short-circuiting and it took everything in him to, like, keep his consciousness. He could do this. They could do this.

He drove her to the hospital, as predicted, completely on autopilot. And then, to his surprise, they arrived safely at the hospital and Michelle was checking herself in, and all of the sudden they were in a hospital room and he was sitting on the cheap couch next to her bed, holding her hand.

“Are you awake yet, Parker?” 

“What?”

“Good. We’re almost there.”

The epidural they had given her worked its magic, and soon they were in the delivery room with May, who had shown up after Michelle had wrestled Peter’s phone from his weak hands and called her. 

And then, soon, the cry of his tiny baby girl could be heard throughout the small delivery room. May immediately went to comfort Michelle, who was swearing and sweating profusely, tears leaking out of her eyes in exhaustion. She hugged May in shock, staring at the tiny, fluid-covered newborn that the doctor had pulled from her body. She heard the cry and, in relief, dropped her head back onto the bed, beginning to sob. 

Peter’s vision began to blur as he was handed medical scissors to cut the umbilical cord shakily. The nurses wiped off her unbelievably small body and swaddled her in a blanket before handing her to Michelle. 

Michelle, still crying, cuddled their baby’s small face in love and adoration before kissing her fragile head. That was absolutely COVERED in curly brown hair, not to mention. It was the first thing Peter noticed. 

And he’d never felt so much love for anyone or anything in his entire life. 

—

Later, after they’d cleaned their daughter up and gotten her ready for the NICU, Peter and Michelle were able to spend the day with her. The nurse came in with the documents before asking them, “What’s her name?” 

“Jane.” Michelle said confidently. 

“J-a-n-e?”

“Yes. Jane Katherine Jones-Parker.”

“A mouthful.” The nurse chuckled.

Michelle gave the nurse a dirty look before turning to Peter. He was looking at her in absolute awe.

“Jane’s Diner.” He whispered. 

“Yeah,” she smiled weakly, tearing up. “I’ve been thinking about it for awhile.”

“It’s perfect,” Peter said, pulling the loves of his life (as cheesy as it was, he didn’t care) closer to him. He’d never been happier in his entire life. 

—

Following the months after Jane was born, Michelle and Peter spent every single day they possibly could visiting her in the NICU. The medical team took very good care of her there, and they were relieved that things seemed to be under control. Jane improved every day, and they were more than overjoyed to learn that they’d be able to take her home on her three month birthday (if they could even call it that). 

During the three months that she was still in the hospital, Peter and Michelle spent every day they could getting their new apartment ready for their daughter. They’d signed a lease for a cute, little two bedroom place about three blocks away from May, and couldn’t be happier. Peter got permission to put wallpaper up in the nursery, so they had picked out one with little zoo animals on it. Michelle had insisted that they theme the room around yellow and green, explaining that it was no way of hers to enforce gender roles with stupid colors. And Peter agreed. 

They were happy.

And taking Jane home had been amazing. She’d still cry in the middle of the night, needed diaper changes that Peter would have to take care of more often then not, and required by the minute attention, but she was a bundle of joy that had blessed their lives more than ever imagined. 

There was one problem.

Four months after Jane, they still hadn’t had The Talk. The big, immense, elephant in room talk.  
And soon, they would. But for now, Peter would enjoy his sort-of family, because that had become the most important thing in the world to him. He just hoped she felt the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been literal MONTHS since I updated this. Enjoy. I apologize for the hectic mess that is my life that’s kept me from finishing this fic. One chap to go!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i"M SO SO SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG BUT HERE'S YOUR EPILOGUE!!!

It had been a few months since Jane had come home from the NICU. Their baby girl was now six months old and resembled both Michelle and Peter perfectly. MJ and Peter still hadn't discussed their status, but for right now, Michelle was sleeping in the master bedroom with Jane and Peter slept in the smaller room. They'd have their moments, sometimes, filled with kisses and I love yous, but nothing official had been put on it. Jane required too much attention and Michelle worked at the Daily Bugle from 8-5. Peter requested that he work from home, so someone could be near Jane all day. Life was good, and simple, but the whole Michelle thing had been seriously fucking Peter up. He was so, so in love with her. He understood that she wanted things to remain uncomplicated, but he couldn't stand it. 

Michelle loved her job. It got her out of the house, doing what she loved, and also gave her enough time to be at home with her baby and her...and Peter. 

The thing was, not talking about it was easy at first. But it had gotten to the point where Michelle was sick of it. Living with someone in that close of proximity had deepened her feelings more than she'd thought possible. She didn't know what to do.

She walked home with troubled thoughts. On one hand, it made things simple, not talking about it. She liked where they were now and didn't want to jeopardize anything. She was terrified that somehow, stepping out of her comfort zone would fuck everything up. And it totally could.

On the other hand, she loved Peter. So goddamn much. She'd never felt like this before and it terrified her, but she also knew they couldn't live forever like this. It would drive him crazy. And, eventually, her too. 

She cursed herself out as she thought of something. A solution, maybe. It scared her. But she liked the idea too much to let it go.

Peter was waiting for MJ to get home as he stirred the stew on the stove and glanced over at Jane in her baby bouncer, chewing on her rubber toy as Disney Junior played on the living room TV. He smiled contently, cherishing the moment. He loved his life, his girls, his home. Hec didn't think he'd ever been this at peace in his life. 

All of the sudden, the front door burst open with a breathless Michelle as she dropped her bag on one of the dining chairs. "Peter," she let out slowly.

"Y-yes?" He said a bit fearfully.

"Wanna get married?"

Peter dropped his spoon on the floor in shock, the boiling stew burning his foot. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow." He groaned. Michelle rushed to him, concerned.

"Oh, my god. Are you okay?" She asked. He looked up from his position, crouched over his throbbing foot, and nodded. 

"Sorry, Em." He apologized. "Um, married? You want to...you want to get married? To me?"

"No, to Brad Pitt." She deadpanned, looking him dead in the eye. "Are you stupid? Yes, duh, I want to marry you."

Peter gazed up at her and suddenly, he didn't give a shit about his foot. It was entirely insignificant. "Em, is this a proposal?"

"It is if you want it to be," she smiled softly. 

He grinned and sprang up to take her lips with his. He could taste her smile, and he knew that he'd never been happier than this moment in his life. A quiet "Mommy!" brought them back to earth and they broke apart, smiling, as Michelle went to greet Jane. "Hi, baby!" She exclaimed, reaching for her daughter. 

Peter looked at them in awe. His two girls, the loves of his life. They were a mess of brown curls and hazel eyes and crooked smiles and he didn't think life could get any better than that.

Six months later, it did. Seeing Michelle walk down the small grassy aisle in her flowy, sleeveless dress and her hair woven into a beautiful messy braid filled with daisies, he knew that his life had truly began when he fell in love with her. He watched her stop to give May a hug, sitting in the first row in tears, holding their one year old daughter. Michelle kissed Jane's cheek before joining Peter at the front, matching his bright smile. The last year and a half had been filled with such joy and emotion and love and craziness, and he knew that this was only their beginning.


End file.
